Again, one of the sadder places I have been to, reminiscence of her former glory. Located on the North Western beach of Koh Mak and almost occupying it all, this resort is made up of 50 or so villas which had seen better days. From the multitude groups of villa designs and the dwindling stage in which different of them were at, one could only deduce that the resort was build in many phases with maintenance seriously overlooked. There are many amenities that have ceased operations and were just left there in a depressing state of negligence. At the same time, construction was going on for a few new units upcoming and somehow, it all just looked like city planning gone wrong. I had the Jacuzzi villa, but when it was filled and I turned on the jets, all sorts of debris shot out from the system and I had to drain and refill the tub. It had not been occupied for some time and I guess the jet holes are home to insects and whatever they could drag in to make a home out of it. I must have obliterated them all to heaven. And when I do take the shower, the ground floor rained. The room is in fact pleasant to the eye, but aging had caught on. I was smoking out the deck chairs up on the first floor below the halogen lamp enjoying the evening twilight. When my girlfriend turned the outdoor lights on, it exploded with a loud thundering crack followed by an angry hiss accompanied by sparks and a small fire. Instinctively, I launched into the air away from the detonation but was fortunate enough not to have flown off the un-barricaded first floor which offered a free view of tress and the distance islands.

Mornings, how I wished they have in room coffee, the hot water pot and the instant morning coffee was missing from my expectations. The lonely breeze from the sea on first light blended with my cigarette smoke was just missing that essential aroma of the addictive beans. Breakfast, it was terrible, just too basic for taste but the friendly number of understaffed employees tried their best to make it pleasant. Contrastingly, lunch and dinner was fantastically delectable. The limited number of cooks do concoct out wonderful Thai dishes better than many places I have been to, for a very reasonable price tag too. I looked on at the Caucasians, feasting on burgers and fries, they just don’t know what they are missing. Its real Thai cuisines Koh Mak Resort has to offer.

There just ain’t nothing to do there for leisure. The North Westerly was blowing up rough seas and the waters churned in August. The waters sorrowfully devoid of her clarity. Take a short boat ride to the renowned Koh Kham opposite the bay for white sandy beaches. The sight of the island and her gleaming white shoreline visible from Koh Mak Resort so inviting. But when landed again my anticipation for a good swim was miserably doused. For some reasons, there was something seriously wrong with the environment. There was what seemed to be the onset of red tide, I saw dead fishes. So one could only sunbath in the midst of all the unexpected construction going on there and buy drinks from the only store there offering nothing but drinks. Bring your own meals if you are staying over lunch.

Back to Koh Mak and to kill boredom, the resort do offer scooter rentals for one to venture the island. Take a dip in the resort’s infinity pool one could, but since the waters were murky, I did not. I know there are a lot of bad things going on there but the privacy and seclusion of the resort is really something to look forward. No crowds, the peace, the sound of waves. The stroll by the long beach in radiant sunset was breathtakingly awesome but watch where you step. Rusty nails pointing up on broken planks on some spots so avoid them at all cost especially after dark. Still, with all my warnings written, I did enjoy my stay there to a certain extent, best part was basking in dusk light in the open bubbly Jacuzzi watching the sun go down. A well planned renovation will make this resort a really great prefect gem of a place to stay.